POH

[upthecreek]

Just a curious question for the computer guys I ran defraggler and I see it says my status of my computer is good and the POH is 331d 2h Is this alot for a 5 1/2 year old computer? How much time do I have left?(the computer not me!)
Its a Dell dimension E520 desktop
thanks!

[DJofSD]

OK, I broke the code -- I must be slow this AM.

I run Defraggler too. For my day in, day out, system, the Power on Hours found under the Health tab shows 553d 14h. Off the top of my head, I can not remember when I bought this computer. It could be 5 years old.

BTW, those stats under Health are for the hard drive. You can project the PoH for usage of the computer and not be too far off. Kind of difficult to run your PC without the hard drive spinning too.

As far as how much time is left: your guess is as good as any one elses. However, hard drives do fail. If you want to reduce the chances of experiencing a failure (which you will regret), take the time to replace the hard drive.

There are places that will do it for you, or, you an do it yourself. To do it yourself, and, how easy or difficult is going to depend on the Dell PC. What kind of drive (EIDE or SATA), whether or not there is a 2nd HDD, what software you might have already to assist in copying the drive contents to the new, replacement drive.

So, doing it your self can be done. It is just a matter of nailing down some variables and exploring the branches of a decision tree to figure out what you need and how to do it.

[Dave Schwartz]

As far as how much time is left: your guess is as good as any one elses. However, hard drives do fail. If you want to reduce the chances of experiencing a failure (which you will regret), take the time to replace the hard drive.

However, with a 5yr old computer, I am not sure I would invest (say) $150-$200 when a new one is maybe 3 times that. Especially true if it wasn't even broken.

[forced89]

I have always bought (near) low end laptops with the expectation that I will trash them in or around 24 months. One lasted 18 months; another 5 years; most between 2 and 5 years; my current Presario CQ56 is now 22 months old and running perfect (knock on wood). When it gets spastic I will replace it.

[DJofSD]

However, with a 5yr old computer, I am not sure I would invest (say) $150-$200 when a new one is maybe 3 times that. Especially true if it wasn't even broken.
I was ignoring the age of the PC and trying to suggest the least expensive solution to extend the life of what otherwise was a perfectly usable system.

I was assuming a new HDD would be around $60-70.

If there was some other expenses, e.g. software or an external case for mounting the new drive, sure, it would drive up the total.

[wilderness]

I have always bought (near) low end laptops with the expectation that I will trash them in or around 24 months. One lasted 18 months; another 5 years; most between 2 and 5 years; my current Presario CQ56 is now 22 months old and running perfect (knock on wood). When it gets spastic I will replace it.

The biggest cause of failure on laptops is due to overheating.
You may extend life-expectancy by leaps and bounds, simply by adding one of the dual-cooling-fan platforms for $10-20. Most run on USB power, while the better quality ones run on their own power supply.

[wilderness]

"Knock on wood", I've never had a HD fail on a desktop, perhaps I've just been fortunate.
I defrag every few months, however more than a decade ago a geek told me that chkdsk was more crucial than defrag.

I move quite a lot of data and my computers run more hours than most people.

Last fall I added a Sata drive as a secondary and primarily for a duplicate backup of my archives (I burn DVD BU's each month). and the Sata drives are different creatures than the old IDE's.

The Sata's run faster and much quieter.

HD's prices went up last fall due to some supplier in the Orient burning down. I kinda doubt if prices have gone back down (it's not the market trends these days).

[DJofSD]

It was flooding that caused the price spike, and, I believe they have recovered from those problems. Whether prices have fallen back to pre-crises levels, I'm not sure but I think they have.

[Dave Schwartz]

DJ,

Your advice was sound.

I was just adding my 2.5 cents worth. (Inflation, you know.)

[PaceAdvantage]

It's my opinion that the biggest cause of hard drive failure on desktops is not having your PC connected to a Uninterrupted Power Supply.

Whenever storms roll through and the lights flicker or the power goes out, if your PC isn't connected to a UPS, you're just rolling the dice in my opinion. Power fluctuations (up and down) will cut the life short of your most vital components (Motherboard, Power Supply and Hard Drives).

Having a UPS provides a constant flow of regulated battery backup power...and makes sure your components won't die an early death from the stress of power fluctuations.

A decent one will set you back about $150. Small price to pay for more peace of mind.

[forced89]

The biggest cause of failure on laptops is due to overheating.
You may extend life-expectancy by leaps and bounds, simply by adding one of the dual-cooling-fan platforms for $10-20. Most run on USB power, while the better quality ones run on their own power supply.

I've done that and I also blow out the dust, dog hairs, etc with compressed air from time to time.

[wilderness]

It's my opinion that the biggest cause of hard drive failure on desktops is not having your PC connected to a Universal Power Supply.


I thought that is what 110-volts in the U. S. is ;)

[PaceAdvantage]

I thought that is what 110-volts in the U. S. is ;)Yup...lol...fixed my post to Uninterrupted

[Dave Schwartz]

A decent one will set you back about $150. Small price to pay for more peace of mind.

You can actually get a good one for a single machine for about 1/2 that.

If you have a Batteries Plus near you give them a try. They will match anyone's prices and they are a pleasure to do business with.

Also, if you go into one of their stores and ask for a refurbed UPS they will GIVE it to you if you buy the battery for it.

[tupper]

Kind of difficult to run your PC without the hard drive spinning too.Actually, it is quite easy to run a PC without the hard drive -- use any live CD/USB.


As far as how much time is left: your guess is as good as any one elses. However, hard drives do fail. If you want to reduce the chances of experiencing a failure (which you will regret), take the time to replace the hard drive.Probably, the best solution for the OP is to have a large back-up drive, which he/she updates regularly.

[JustRalph]

don't forget that UPS for your 2k dollar big screen TV too.